THE Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) is to ballot its 15,500 members on whether they should end industrial action so they can enter talks on the Croke Park public service reform agreement.
The union’s executive decided on the vote after signals in recent days that members could face pay cuts and possible redundancy in some colleges if they are not signed up to the reforms being negotiated by other unions, including some which also rejected the deal earlier this year.
A recent TUI delegate conference agreed the union could discuss the issues with Department of Education officials, but they were refused talks because of its ongoing industrial action. The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) lifted similar action in schools last month and has met the department on reforms that would include an additional hour a week of non-teaching duties and a review of teacher contracts.
The TUI said delegates expressed a strong desire three weeks ago to enter talks. "A decision has now been taken to ballot members on the temporary suspension of industrial action to allow the union to engage in discussions on issues related to the public service agreement."
The move follows comments this week by Minister of State Dara Calleary that unions who do not sign up to reforms in the Croke Park deal will not benefit from guarantees on pay or job security. Taoiseach Brian Cowen reiterated the point yesterday, saying the benefits of the agreement are only available to those who support it. "If people are not in favour, they can’t have the advantages available to them."
It emerged yesterday that lecturers whose unions are not signed up to the Croke Park agreement could face pay cuts and possible redundancy. The possibility of redundancies is more plausible for those working in the institutes of technology (IOTs), where dozens of positions could be surplus to requirement because of the drop-off in apprentice trainees linked to the slump in the construction industry.
Many lecturers previously involved in apprentice training have been moved to cater for new skills courses and additional programmes to help cater for increased demand for third level studies. But the Department is gathering information in relation to surpluses in academic staff in the IOTs. However, a spokesperson could not give details of any numbers identified and said the process is ongoing.
The TUI represents around 4,000 IOT lecturers but earlier yesterday had described suggestions that members could be forced to take redundancies as counterproductive. A letter to 13 of the 14 IOTs from their representative body, Institutes of Technology Ireland, has pointed out union members compliant with the Croke Park deal are likely to get priority for transfer to a vacant post if their job is surplus to requirement.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Saturday, October 16, 2010
